18 Beautiful Handmade and DIY Gift Ideas for Christmas

For me, one of the most wonderful things about Christmas is that it’s a time of year where I can make handmade gifts for my family and friends. There’s nothing I love more than making beautiful presents - they are that bit more special than off-the-shelf products, and you can personalise them so they’re completely perfect. And if you love the idea of DIY gifts but don’t have the skills to pull them off, then there are also recommendations for small businesses you can go to for handmade gifts too!

For the slow fashion lover

Slow fashion is having a moment, and not a moment too soon. Slow fashion starts with using what you already have, whether that’s a cheap old dress that still has life in it, or upcycling an old dress into a hat. My turban pattern is an excellent place to start if you want to create a beautiful gift out of an old t-shirt.

If you’re low on sewing skills, then there are more and more small fashion businesses with sustainable principles. Some of my current favourites include The Fruit Moth, which makes handmade accessories from remnant and vintage fabrics, and Law Design Studio, making beautiful clothing from sustainable fibres.

For the person decorating their home

Home decor is so easy to create with very little skill! As long as you have a base piece to start with, such as a cushion, rug or large piece of fabric, you can easily upcycle them in whatever style you (or your friend!) like.

Handmade gift ideas I’ve shared include this upcycled cushion, this easy wall hanging, and this bamboo wall art.

For the person that’s living low-waste

Without a doubt one of my favourite things to make for friends and family is handkerchiefs. They look fancy, they’re super useful, and you can make them from pretty much anything you have around your house. You can find my simple method here.

If you’d rather buy, then handmade natural soap will always go down well with an eco-friendly friend.

For the food lover

Gingerbread is a Christmas classic in our house. Writing this in December, we’ve already eaten our way through 3 batches! But it makes a wonderful gift too, iced beautifully and wrapped in tissue paper. We love to make ‘light’ gingerbread, which is a little less fiery and more palatable for little ones. Here’s the recipe:

Light Gingerbread Biscuits

Makes 25-30 biscuits

Ingredients:

225g light muscovado sugar
175g golden syrup
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
650g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
200g butter, chilled and roughly grated
100g icing sugar⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

1. Mix the sugar, syrup, spices and eggs in a jug. Tip the baking powder and flour into a bowl and add the butter, then rub it in thoroughly until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the contents of the jug and a pinch of salt and stir the mixture to combine it. Use your hands to bring the dough together and then knead it until it’s smooth. Divide the dough into 4 and press each into a disc.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

2. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Roll the dough out in batches on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a pound coin and cut out shapes. Lift them onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

3. Bake in batches for 10-15 mins, depending on size. Leave for 5 minutes before moving off the tray to cool fully on a wire rack. Keep rolling, cutting and baking until they’re all done.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

4. Decorate with royal icing, or a crazy mix of whatever you have in the cupboard.

For the person who loves a bath

I used to treat myself to a Lush bath bomb set every Christmas, and while Lush is still an excellent sustainable choice, it can get a little pricey. Thankfully making bath bombs is surprisingly easy, and they make a fantastic gift. Here’s the recipe we use.

If you’re looking for a smaller business to support, then I also love Mythyn, a beautiful artisan company making soap and bath products in the UK.

For the little person

For handmade toys, my go-to place is definitely Etsy. You can find some of my favourite Etsy toy makers in this post. Other small toy makers include Raduga Grez, and my all-time favourite Plan Toys.

If you’re handy with tools, you can also make toys! This year we are making Clem a lock box, to help with fine motor skills.

For the baby

For the littlest ones, there really is no need to buy anything at all! Babies are usually happier with the packaging the present comes in, than the gift itself. If you’d like to buy something, then choosing something the parent will also enjoy can be a wonderful touch, especially for a new parent who needs a little love.

Florian Botanicals make handmade baby oils and balms which are wonderful and just as perfect for parents as babies. Another option is to make or buy handmade clothes for tiny ones. Again, Etsy is my go-to, with so many beautiful handmade pieces.

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